Thursday, February 25, 2016

Today's sweepstakes offer loads of options! There are numerous gift cards available for the winning, to use to buy what you will. Then, there are those ice cream cakes... oh, yum. There is also $1,000 cash! Along with these things, you could even end up streaming Netflix on your TV!

Not to be forgotten is today's bonus sweepstakes, where a picture of your very own famous (or not) recipe, could win you a cool $5,000! Wow, what a break!

In other news, there will be no Friday post this week. One of the boys recently went to the storage shed at the cabin, and brought back a load of boxes. I definitely need to get some unpacking done, so we can get the dining room back again. So far, I've found that I have two tons of coffee cups, but I haven't come across any dishes, yet. I really want to find some dishes!

In Winning News, I recently won a free tube of Aquaphor from the Dr. Oz Show, so thank you to both of them. This was such a surprise to me. It was certainly fun to get!

* One daily prize awarded each day. One each day, excluding Tuesdays, of a $100 Netflix streaming TV gift card. Each Tuesday's prize is a $1,500 value major retailer-branded gift card that may be redeemed for a 4K HDTV or any other item(s) of winner’s choice.

One entry per person/household/email address per day. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 or older (19 or older in AL and NE). Ends March 22, 2016.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Earlier this year, I had the chance to review some Lakota products. At the time, I had been suffering from a rather severe flare-up of an old back injury, so was really pleased to have the opportunity!

As promised, you now have the chance to win a really nice bundle of these products, plus a $50 Amazon gift card! This is such a great prize. I'd like to thank Lakota for sponsoring the review and the giveaway, and to thank you, for entering!

I found these products to be really effective, and since doing the review, I have ordered more. These are something I'd definitely like to keep on hand. I really love that they are natural products! Please check out the product review through the link below, then be sure to enter the giveaway!

Monday, February 22, 2016

Today brings the final giveaway of four from Culinary Corner. For this one, I had the opportunity to review the Culinary Corner Ice Ball/Sphere Mold Set. This, of course, means that you now have the chance to win it!

I'd like to thank Culinary Corner for sponsoring these reviews and giveaways over the past few weeks, and to thank you, my wonderful readers, for your participation!

I was first introduced to ice spheres in an upscale bar/restaurant. We ordered a fine scotch. The bartender then hauled out a large copper contraption, into which she placed a very large, square cube of ice. With a towel underneath this fancy unit, and the copper lid on top, the magic began.

As she pressed down on the lid, the ice slowly melted and shaped into a sphere. This she placed into our glasses, and then she poured the scotch over it. I, of course, immediately wanted one of these large copper contraptions. I had to have one.

The main point of using ice spheres being, the sphere will melt much slower than cubes, and hence will not dilute your drink. It also offers a touch of beauty, and adds a bit of class. Not to mention that it's just plain fun to do something a little different!

Well, I later found out that I didn't need to spend hundreds of dollars on, nor struggle to find storage space for, an ice sphere maker. All I needed was a good mold! Lo and behold, Culinary Corner has a good set of two, without the hefty price tag!

These molds are made of silicone. They are heavy duty enough to take whatever you might dole out in all your ice sphere adventures, yet they are still light and easy to handle. The silicone is slightly flexible, but strong enough to hold its shape.

These are so simple to fill. Start with the mold assembled. Each has two halves that simply slip together. The bottom is flat, to provide stability. Each has a hole in the top, to run a stream of water into.

Once the molds are filled, be sure to hold the bottom half, and not just grab onto the top! Then, you just pop them in the freezer, and wait for the magic to do its work.

As you will quite likely know, water expands as it freezes. One thing I liked about these molds is that they allow for this expansion. Sometimes the top half would lift just a bit, and sometimes the water would expand out the hole in the top. Whatever way it expanded, it did not leave a mess in my freezer. It always froze on the mold, before it hit the shelf. Regardless of what expansion took place, the sphere always turned out perfectly!

If you find that the mold does get a little stubborn when you try to open it, just run a little warm water over it, and it will pop right open after that. There is really nothing too difficult about these molds, yet they do their job beautifully!

Once the sphere is made, use it to your liking. It, of course, fits perfectly into a rocks glass.

I also found that two will fit nicely into a wide mouth mason jar. Perfect for use with iced tea! Refill your glass again, still tasting the flavor of the tea, without it being watered down!

Of course, these are molds, so ice isn't the only thing they can be used for. You can also use them to make things like cake pops! I also have a vision in my head of using these to make perfectly formed cheese balls for two, for use as an hors d'ouvre. I haven't had the chance to try it, yet, but eventually, I will. I'm sure there are dozens of other uses for these, too!

Now, it's time for your chance to win! What? Can't wait to get yours? You can order these on Amazon, and save 10 percent using the code JENNYT10 at checkout!

You can also enter to win the Culinary Corner Collapsible Silicone Funnel, through February 28, and read the review, HERE.